Dulcimer-action.



DULCIMER ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED 1uNE2o, ism.

1,137,562. Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A TTH/VEYS THE NURRIS PETERS CD.. PHOTG-LITHOA. WASHINGTON, 1..

N. 1. WINLUND.

DULCIMER ACTION.

APPLICATION man lune 2o. 1914.

1,137,562. Patented Apr. 27, 19,15.

A TTORNEVS THE MORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTOLITHQ. WASHINGNN. D. C.

NICHOLAS J'. WINLUND, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

DULCIMER-ACTION.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Application filed J une 2l), 1914. Serial No. 846,306.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS J. WIN- LUND, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dulcimer-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to dulcimers, and the main object thereof is to provide an action therefor in which the hammer is caused vto strike a string and immediately recede therefrom, thus permitting full vibration of the string.

A further object is to provide means for carrying a note when a keyis held depressed after striking a string, said means maintaining the damper out of string engagement in this depressed position of the key but allowing said damper to bear on said string when said key is released. y

A further object is to provide means for i mounting all the hammers in alinement and for maintaining the samev in alinement; and

further objects are to*` provide an action which is simple in construction, positive in operation, readily installed; and comparatively inexpensive. Y Y

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts are designated bythe same reference charactersin each of the views and in whichz- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a single key action constructed in accordance with my present invention, in a state of rest; Fig. 2 is a similar view, with the parts in thev position of stroke; Fig. 3 is a similar view, with the parte in the same positions shown in Fig. 2, with the exception of the loose hammer member, which is-in rebound position, while the no'e'is held; and Fig. 4 isI a plan view of the hammer removed from the instrument.

In the drawings forming a part of this application I have shown a key 5, pivotally mounted on a pin 6, the inner end of said key being forked and a bar 7 arranged therein, another barS being arranged beneath this key end, and whichbars extend for 4the full length of the key-board andare held in the sides of the instrument frame; said key is also provided with pads 9 and 10 on the under side and, intermediate the length thereof, with a nose-piece 11, and with a vertical bore 12, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, into which passes a guide-pin 13 secured inthe fixed hammer-rail 111; said hammer rail has a pivot rod. 15 held at'ts top and extending the full length of the key-board, and serving as a pivot for all the hammers.

Pivotally mounted on a transverse rod 16 is al damper 17 through the bell-crank 18 of which is a hole permitting the passage of a rod 19 carried by the key 5; the said hole is ofsuch size andV so located as to have the rod 19 normally touchboth edges thereof, whereby damper 17 is moved away from-the string 2O in the downward movement ofthe key and into string Contact in the upward movement ofsaid key. Y Y

The hammer consists of two members 21 and 22, the former hereinafter referred to as the body member and the latter as the movable member, in pivotal connection at 23, the member 21 being transversely grooved on its under side to embrace the pivot rod 15 upon which it is pivotally hung; a coil-spring 24 is connected with the hammer-rail and with the outer end of the body member 21 and exerts a downwardly pulling force on said end, whereby the inner end of the said member is normally in Vraised position, and said body member 21 is preferably forked, as shown in Fig. 4;, to receive the movable member `22.

The body member 21 is provided with aA felt pad 25 on its upper surface, beneath the key nose-piece 11 which bears thereon, and said pad extends over the top of said body member to a point slightly overlapping the path of the adjacent end of the movable member 22, whereby it tends to maintain said movable member in any position wherein said pad bears against the said end of themember 22, thereby serving as a yielding brake; said body member 21 alsoA carries a resilient stop 26 to limit the movement of the member 22 in the direction thereof, and the member 22 carries a pad 27 at its outer end ,adaptedv tobe brought into Contact with the string 20.

The parts are normally in the positions shown in Fig. 1, and, if the key 5 be depressed, the nose-piece 11 forces the body member 21 downwardly, on its pivotal rod 15, carrying the member 22 with it; when the pad 27 strikes the string 20, the inner end of the member 22 is released from the brake pad 25, thereby permitting it to rebound into the position shown in Fig. 3, clear of the string 20, and it maintains this position as long as the key is maintained in depressed position; in this key movement the damper 17 is moved away from the string 2O and a note is held as there is no restriction to the vibrations of the string.

Then the key is released, the coil-spring 24 forces the inner end of the body member 21 upwardly, thereby moving the key into normal position, and also carrying the movable member 22 upwardly until it strikes against the pads 9 and 10; these force the lower member into its normal position with the brake pad 25 again bearing on the end thereof, ready for another operation and, in this release of the key, the damper 17 is again dropped upon the string 20.

It will thus be seen that 1 provide a hammer, the string Contact portion of which rebounds from the string immediately after the stroke, the contacting portion being entirely free of the string thereafter; this con tacting portion is also freely movable in the main portion of the hammer,but upon the release of the key, the said contacting portion is again forced into operative position with respect to the main portion of the hammer, ready for another stroke, the damper being held away from the string during the period of key depression. 1t will also be seen that, because of the pivot rod 15 and the groove in the body member 21, lpermanent stability is attained and maintained of the hammer; the body member 21 is provided with an elongated hole 28, for the passage of the guide-pin 13, whereby said hammer is also guided in its movement, and, because of the uniformity of the hammers, the assembling of the action is simple and rapid; further, but few parts are employed and there is little likelihood of the action getting out of order to require repair.

My main features are, therefore, the two member hammer, the brake pad, and the limiting stop, together with the wire rod hammer support, and means for returning the parts to initial position.

-`Vith a reservation to myself of all such changes in and modifications of the details shown and described as come within the scope of the following claims, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is

1. An action, comprising a bar, a key pivoted thereto, a hammer rail, a hammer pivotally mounted thereon, means on said key in operative connection with said hammer, and means for maintaining said hammer and key in normal positions, said hammer consisting of a main body portion arranged longitudinally beneath said key, a tansverse pivot at the inner end thereof, a string striking member movably mounted on said pivot, and yielding means for normally maintaining said striking member in sta tionary relationship with said body member.

2. An action, comprising a bar, a key pivoted thereto, a hammer rail, a hammer piv* otally mounted thereon, means on said key in operative connection with said hammer, and means for maintaining said key and hammer in normal positions, said hammer consisting of a main body member arranged longitudinally beneath said key, a transverse pivot at the inner end thereof, a string striking member movably mounted on said pivot, and a pad interposed between said members for yieldingly holding said members in stationary relationship.

3. An action, comprising a bar, a key pivoted thereto, a hammer rail, a hammer pivotally mounted thereon, means on said key in operative connection with said hammer, and means for maintaining said key and hammer in normal positions, said hammer consisting of a main body member arranged longitudinally beneath said key, a transverse pivot at the inner end thereof, a string striking member movably mounted on said pivot, a pad interposed between said members to yieldingly hold the same in stationu ary relationship, and means for returning said movable member to pad engaging position when moved therefrom.

11. An action, comprising a bar, a key prv-- oted thereto, a hammer rail, a hammer pvotally mounted thereon, means on said key in operative connection with said hammer, and means for maintaining said key and hammer in normal positions, said hammer consisting of a main body member arranged longitudinally beneath said key, a transverse pivot at the inner end thereof, a stringstriking member movably mounted on said pivot, a pad interposed between said members to yieldingly hold the same in stationary relationship, means for returning said movable member to pad engaging position when moved therefrom, and a stop beneath said body member for limiting the movement of said movable member.

5. An action, comprising a bar, a key piv oted thereto, a hammer rail, a hammer pivotally mounted thereon, means on said key in operative connection with said hammer, and means for maintaining said key and hammer in normal positions, said hammer being transversely grooved in the position of said rail, a wire rod on said rail engaged in said groove, a pin on said rail passed In testimony whereof have signed my loosely through said hammer, and said hamname to this specification 1n presence of the mer consisting of a main body member, a subscribing Witnesses.

member movably mounted thereon, and a NICHOLAS J. WINLUND. yielding pad interposed between said mem- Witnesses:

bers for normally maintaining said mem- R. N. WINLUND,

bers in stationary relationship. WALTER HAZEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

